Sonic Chrysanthemum
by Sonicluver1112
Summary: A blue hedgehog finishes fighting a black and red hedgehog until he gets notified the island will explode. As he runs through the forest, he sees a mysterious female hedgehog...
1. Chapter 1: A Strange Encounter

Sonic Chrysanthemum

I do not own all Sonic characters (except Sereine), they are all rightfully Sega's. This is my first attempt not only at fan fiction, but also in writing an enjoyable story. I really hope you all like this. It's based on SA2 (Sonic Adventure 2 for those who have never heard of it), but of course in a different POV. I do not need harsh criticism, I'm only a teenager -.- Anyways, I will be making more stories, and I hope you enjoy them all. ^-^

Deep in a green forest, two hedgehogs stand off towards each other, panting from the fight that they had. One had royal blue fur and a determined, yet angered look in his eyes. The other had black fur tinted with crimson on his body and quills. Both were bruised and beaten, and just as they were going to give the final blow, a beeping sound was made and an old man spoke "Shadow, the islands set to blow up! I suggest you get going or else you will die along with the residents!"

"Blow up!?" The blue hedgehog exclaimed. The black hedgehog retaliated and ran off deep into the wilderness

"I gotta get outta here! Tails and Amy are waiting for me!"

The hedgehog ran deep into the unknown wilderness ahead of him, dodging every obstacle that stands in his way, all the while with the clock slowly ticking away. Each agonizing second, even nanosecond, was pitted against this hedgehog. As he nearly reaches the runway close the prison, he hears an indistinct female voice, humming sweetly in the forest. He turns his head to the right, and in the midst of a patch of flowers surrounded by trees whose wooden arms were covered in vines and moss, a female hedgehog with dark sky blue fur sat there, humming a beautiful tune and smelling the flowers. The hedgehog was a bit afraid to approach her. He simply stood there in awe and amazement behind a large tree as he gazed at the female hedgehog. He could not believe the beauty she had, nor why she was even there. As he slowly approached her, a twig snaps beneath his shoes. The female hedgehog turned at the sound and said with a frightened voice "Who's there? Whoever you are, don't come near my flower patch! I worked hard making them beautiful, and I would be very pissed if that all went down the trash!"

The blue hedgehog was silent for a moment. He was astonished at the sound of her voice: feminine and sweet, yet a bit gruff and tomboyish. Finally, he came out from hiding and spoke in a sarcastic voice "Sorry if I disturbed your kingdom princess!"

The female hedgehog replied in an angered voice "Oh, trying to be smart huh? Is that any way to treat a someone, especially a girl when you first meet them?"

"Hey, you're the one who got snippy, not me!"

The two glared at one another for a whole minute. As the two were about to continue arguing, the blue hedgehog stepped on a beautiful red rose by accident. The female hedgehog's expression was shocked, and in a very angered voice she said "You stepped on my flower you freaking jerk! How could you!? And it was so pretty too!"

The blue hedgehog laughed nervously as he said "I'm sorry! It was an accident, I swear! I had no idea it was there!" The female hedgehog hit the blue hedgehog's head with her fist, leaving a nasty bump on top.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"For being rude, a jerk, and invading my privacy!"

"I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to be rude or a jerk! I swear!"

"Hmph! Like I should believe you!" The female hedgehog crossed her arms and turned her back as she was quite angered with the blue hedgehog. The blue hedgehog stood with a sad look on his face as he thought to himself "Man, I blew it! Why did I have to be such a jerk? I'm so stupid! I should've just walked up, said hi, and get to know her." Under his breath, the hedgehog said sadly "I'm sorry."

The female hedgehog turned around and saw the remorseful look upon the blue hedgehog's face. She walked over to him, and said in a sad voice "I forgive you. And, I'm sorry as well. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It's just been so long since I've talked to another person, let alone an animal, that I've closed myself off from the world, hiding in this forest and being at peace with the flowers."

"Well, let's start over. I'm Sonic, Sonic the hedgehog!" Sonic exclaimed happily as he gave a thumbs up.

"Nice to meet you Sonic, I'm Sereine." Sereine said as her expression lightened into a warm smile.

"So, why are you here all by yourself?"

"Well, you see, I used to live in a big city called Westopolis when I was little. Life there was fun at first, but when I started getting a fondness for flowers, I just gave up the city life and came all the way out here. Now I don't have car horns blaring every second. Instead, I have peaceful sounds of birds singing, water flowing, and nature itself." Sereine smiled at Sonic happily.

"I see. Ya know, I actually like nature and flowers too, even though I killed one of yours, but every now and then whenever I'm running somewhere, I like to stop and take in the scenery."

"You like flowers? You don't seem like the type of guy to like flowers that much."

"Well, I do. I know it makes me sound girly, but I love them."

"It's actually good to be in touch with your feminine side. Makes you more sensitive and nice."

"You think so?" Sonic said as he admired Sereine's looks.

"I know so." She smiled.

Sonic went over to a patch of chrysanthemums that were full in bloom and had beauty all over them. He noticed a red one standing out from the yellow and violet ones. Sonic delicately picked it, and handed it to Sereine.

"What's this for?" She said happily.

"Um, well, it's my way of saying sorry, and it's a keepsake for our first time meeting."

Serenie put the flower in her hair. She turned to Sonic and said "How does it look on me?"

"Beautiful" he thought, but instead the words came out as "Great!"

"Thanks. I'm glad you like it." Sereine smiled at Sonic with great warmth. For a moment, the two gazed at one another lovingly, until Sonic remembered something: The Island was set to blow up.

"Oh man! I forgot! The island's gonna blow in a minute! We gotta go now!"

As the two ran off, Sonic noticed Sereine's speed. "She must be running at least 715 mph. That's pretty cool if you ask me!" He thought to himself. The two finally reached the runway where a two-tailed fox and a pink hedgehog stood.

"Sonic! You made it in time!" The fox exclaimed.

"Yeah, it was a close call Tails!"

"Hey Sonic, who's that girl with you?" Tails asked kindly.

Yeah, who is she Sonic?" The pink hedgehog said out of jealousy.

"No time to explain! And Amy, knock off your crap! Now drive Tails! Let's get outta here!

Tails drove off the island in the Tornado II as quickly as he could. As the island exploded, Sereine looked back at the island with a sad look. Sonic put his hand on her shoulder for comfort and smiled, and Sereine smiled as well, knowing she has new friends and Sonic looking out for her.


	2. Chapter 2: Quarrel in the City

For those who don't remember the first chapter, this is what happened: Sonic was finished fighting a black hedgehog until he received news that the island would blow up. As he dashed through the forest, he encountered Sereine, a dark sky blue hedgehog that loves nature and flowers. Their meeting was shaky, but the two eventually made up. The make it to the runway where Tails and Amy awaited, and got away from the island before it blew to high heaven.

Sonic and his friends flew over the vast, deep blue ocean as they tried to search for land. As they were seeing a small speck in the distance, a sign on a road below them read: **Station Square: 5 miles ahead.** Tails got excited and shouted "Sonic! Look! There's Station Square!"

"Good! I'm getting tired of flying anyways! Find a good place to land Tails, and try not to crash!" Sonic shouted.

"You got it Sonic!" Tails scanned over the city trying to find a safe and secure place where they can land without being detected by anyone. Finally, a large, dark alleyway was wide enough for Tails to land. He pressed a large button on in front him that transformed the Tornado II completely. It grew long, metallic legs, and the wings receded into the plane. Tails activated the engines to lower the plane easier so no casualties or injuries occur from crashing. Sonic and friends finally were on solid ground again, but they still had danger ahead of them.

"Are you sure this place is good to be in Tails? It's so dark, and it smells like rotting food too!" Amy exclaimed.

"Doesn't bother me. As long as no one sees us, we'll be fine." Sonic said.

Soon, day turned into night. However, deep in the city, on a large screen built into a skyscraper whose height could not fathom that of the other buildings, a round, giant mustached man appeared on the screen. "Ha ha ha! Greeting my soon-to-be minions! I 'am Dr. Robotnik, the greatest scientist you have ever seen! I have plans to demolish that damn city of yours into a perfect place I call Robotnikland! Witness as I launch the power of my weapon the Eclipse Cannon, to show you what I plan to do to rid that city!" Up in deep space, a large, metallic space station floated above the small, deep blue Earth that simply sat there and spun around slowly. The bottom of the station began to open, revealing a a cannon that hid underneath. Without warning, the cannon fired at the moon, emitting an electric blue ray that seemed to stun the stars. The moon's other half soon crumbled apart as the ray hit it, leaving debris floating in the vast black space.

Back down on Earth, Sonic and his friends stood in shock as they saw the damage done to the moon. "What the hell? Who would blast the moon in half?" Sereine said in an angered voice.

"Eggman, that's who." Sonic replied in an unpleasant tone.

"Eggman? Who's that?"

"He's a big buffoon if you ask me!" Amy said.

"Good point Amy, but that's not the answer Sereine was looking for. You see, Eggman is this scientist who is really smart, and he has a lot of evil plans to destroy this city and make his own, forcing all of the residents to be his slaves while they live in the city. I've fought him a whole lot of times, but I always wind up winning!" Sonic said with a grin.

"I see. But why call him Eggman?"

"Because of how fat and round he is." Sonic said in laughter.

Sereine giggled and said "That's really funny, not to mention clever!"

"Sonic, we really don't have time to make jokes! We gotta get to where Eggman is, or else he'll do something even worse!"

"Yeah, you're right Tails. So, how do we plan on getting into space?"

"I don't know exactly, but maybe if we can track down Eggman's base, we can find a way to get up there." Tails jumped into the Tornado II, and as he looked back at his friends, he said in a determined voice. "You guys stay here! I'm gonna look around the highways and streets here to see if I can find us a way out and get to safety!"

As Tails left, Sonic, Sereine, and Amy stood there wondering what they should do, until Amy broke the silence in a jealous voice "Now that we're alone, why in the world is that girl with you Sonic!?"

"That's none of your business!" Sonic replied angrily.

"I should be asking the same thing. Why is that girl here Sonic?" Sereine replied in a angry, yet sad voice.

"It's not what you think Sereine-"

"Not what you think!?" Amy interrupted. "I'm your girlfriend Sonic! I can't believe you would cheat on me with some girl who looks like a hippie!"

"Hippie? Hippie!? How dare you! "

"Yeah, not to mention you're a bitch and a home wrecker!"

"Oh really!? Now I'm pissed! Your gonna get what's coming to you Pinky!"

"Bring it on Hippie!"

Sereine and Amy dashed at one another as they put back their fists and prepared to punch one another. As their fists got closer, Sonic jumped in between them while holding them apart by their faces. "Stop it you two! Fighting over me is senseless! We have more important matters right now!"

Amy and Sereine stopped and stared at one another with hate and contempt in their eyes. Sonic broke the staring contest when he spoke in an unpleasant voice "Look, Amy, you are **not** my girlfriend. You never were to begin with! You only love me because I save you all the time! Do you even really know me? Do you even know my likes? Dislikes? Hobbies even?"

Amy stood mute with shock. Sonic was telling the truth. She really didn't know anything about him at all, not even a small amount of information. Sereine said in a relieved voice "So, she's not your girlfriend?"

"Yes, she's not my girlfriend, I promise." Sonic and Sereine both stared at one another. Their looks were relieved, happy, and from what it seemed, romantic or loving.

"Well, let's get outta here. We can't waste anymore time! Besides, I'm not letting that dumbass Egghead destroy this city or the planet on my watch! Amy, you go and meet up with Tails. Sereine, you come with me."

"Ok Sonic." Amy said sadly.

"You got it Sonic!" Sereine exclaimed happily.

"All right then! Let's get a move on!"


	3. Chapter 3: Sereine's Past

Sonic and Sereine ran through the city at a speed no one could imagine. As they passed by tall building and cars that blared their horns in some type of symphony, Sereine was remembering the past she had in the city. The lights that were always shining brighter than stars and the dark black blanket that covered the sky whenever night fell. No stars shined at all. The nights were never silent since cars sang their awful songs and construction often was going on to expand the city. Sereine stopped in front of a restaurant and started to remember her life as young hedgehog.

"Oooo! Pretty lights! Look at the lights mama!" A younger Sereine stared in awe as she saw the lights flash during the nighttime. Next to her was a lavender hedgehog with sky blue tips on her hair and cool mint colored eyes like Sereine's. "Yes, I see them dear. They turn on every night.

"Mama, do you think someday I can shine bright like those lights?"

Sereine's mother laughed lightly "I'm sure you will dear. You have a very bright future ahead, and I can tell you are going to become something big."

"I will?" Sereine replied excitedly.

"Yes you will." A man's voice came from the doorway. Standing at the door was a dark sky blue hedgehog with gold eyes. "Feline, are you keeping our little girl up again?" He laughed slightly.

"No, just telling her about the lights, that's all." Feline smiled back at the male hedgehog.

The hedgehog approached Sereine in her bed and sat next to her. "It's time to go to bed sweetie. You stayed up way too late."

"But daddy! I don't wanna sleep!"

"Carter, let her stay up a little longer." Feline said with a smile.

"Ok. But go to sleep in about 10 minutes, ok Sereine?"

"Yes daddy!" Carter kissed his child on the forehead and so did Feline. As they walked out the door, they say in a pleasant tone "Goodnight sweetheart."

"Goodnight mama! Goodnight daddy!"

"Mom… Dad…" Sereine began to shed tears, but she stopped them when Sonic came up and said "Sereine, are you ok?"

"Yeah… I'll be fine."

"You sure? You can always talk to me. I will always be there for you if you need me." Sonic hugged Sereine to give her comfort. Sereine blushed, and gently hugged Sonic back.

"Thanks Sonic. When I get to know you better, I'll tell you. For now, don't worry about it." Sereine smiled at Sonic in an assuring way.

"Ok. Hey, are you hungry?" A growling sound emerged from Sereine's stomach. "Yeah, I 'am actually. Why ask?"

"Well, I was thinking we could have lunch at this restaurant while we wait for the Tails' to come up with a plan." Sonic smiled at Sereine in a happy manner.

"Yeah, I would love to. Is… is this like a…" Sereine trailed off softly.

"A what?"

"A… date?" Sereine said while blushing. Sonic blushed as well.

"Um, yeah, you could say that." Sonic smiled at Sereine in a nervous yet happy manner.

The pair walked into the restaurant and sat in a vacant booth that could seat four people. Sonic and Sereine scanned the menus until they decided what to order. Simultaneously, they said "Chili dogs sound good!"

"You… like chili dogs Sereine?"

"Yeah. They're one of the best things I've ever ate when I was a kid! Plus I haven't had one in a while either." After a waitress who appeared to be unhappy and tired took their order, Sonic and Sereine chatted for a bit.

"How old are you Sereine?" Sonic asked.

"I'm fifteen. I bet you're the same age right?"

"Yep!" Sonic said with a wide grin.

"So, got any hobbies you're into aside from smelling flowers and liking nature?"

"Well, I love running, I love climbing trees, I can cook, I'm an artist, I sing sometimes, and I love helping others."

"You sound like an awesome chick! Any music you like?"

"Hmm… I like rock and alternative. Sometimes I like pop or dance music too."

"Sweet, so do I! So, Sereine, I was wondering this for a while, but why were you on that island all alone?"

"I already told you why. Got short-term memory loss or something?" Sereine giggled.

"No. And I know you told me, but that's not the whole story is it? Why were you really there? You can tell me if you want." Sonic placed his hand gently on Sereine's and held it. Sereine blushed as she replied "I don't know if I want to tell you yet Sonic…"

"Come on. It's ok. Whatever it is, I won't judge you for it." Sonic smiled at Sereine.

"I'll tell you whenever the time is right, ok?"

"Ok. I understand. Whenever you wanna share, let me know."

"I will." Sereine smiled sweetly at Sonic.

The two stared at one another until their order came. As soon as the plate was set down, Sonic and Sereine ravaged the chili dogs as if they haven't ate in decades. After they ate, Sonic kindly paid the waitress, and they walked out together. "That was really sweet of you Sonic."

"Aw, it's nothing really." Sonic said as he blushed.

Sereine walked over to Sonic and lightly kisses his cheek. Sonic's face turned red like a rose that was blooming in the cold winter. Suddenly, Tails' voice was heard as he spoke over the walkie-talkie "Sonic! We have to get to the president! I'm already chasing after him! Please hurry!"

"Well, looks like we got a plan! Come on Sereine, let's go!" Sonic and Sereine dashed off into the bustling city and through the road that slithered like a snake. Finally, they reached a limousine that was black in color. Sonic then jumped inside followed by Sereine, meeting up with Tails and the President.

"Can you tell me what the hell's going on?" The President said.

"Don't worry Mr. President. Everything's fine!" Tails exclaimed.

"Yep! Just sit back and relax Mr. President!" Sonic said with a grin.

"We have a way of saving your city Mr. President. Just leave it up to us!" Sereine smiled happily.

Tails ejected a disk from the T.V. screen as a message was playing for the President. As soon as they appeared, the friends all disappeared out of the limousine. The President was in shock and awe. "Wait! At least explain your plan!" He shouted, but Sonic and his friends were too quick and did not hear his words. Back at the alleyway was Amy and a red furred echidna whose head was popping out from a sewer. "Hey guys! We're back! And look! We got the disk!" Tails said happily.

"Nice job you guys." The red furred echidna said.

"Knuckles! Long time no see old buddy!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Sup Sonic. Hey, who's your lady friend there?" Knuckles said curiously.

"Oh, this is Sereine! Sereine, this is Knuckles." Knuckles and Sereine shook hands in a friendly manner. "Nice to meet you Sereine."

"You too Knuckles." Sereine said as she smiled. Tails was busy scanning the disk he received from the President's limousine. It took awhile, but finally he hacked the disk and was able to locate Eggman's base. "I got it! Eggman seems to be hiding in a pyramid out in a huge desert. We have to get there quickly!"

"I agree with Tails! Come on guys! We gotta get a move on before that Egghead does more damage!" Sonic exclaimed in a stern voice. Knuckles and Amy decided to catch a ride with Tails in the Tornado II. Sonic and Sereine started running at their top speed towards Eggman's hideout. They ran across a vast ocean, their feet floating above their water as they ran rapidly. Soon, water turned into sand as they reached the desert. The dunes seemed to go on for miles, with no beginning or end to them. At the top of the highest dune, Sonic and Sereine scouted the desert for their friends while also taking in the view.

"Nice view up here huh?" Sonic said happily.

"You call staring at a huge sandbox a view?" Sereine giggled.

"Hey, better than nothing, right?"

"Right." Sereine smiled happily. The deserts constant winds howled like a lone wolf. Sand was carried around within the wind as if a dandelion would. The sand hit Sonic and Sereine's eyes hard like hail in a dark storm. As they kept looking, Sonic broke the silence "Hey Sereine?"

"Yeah?"

"I gotta wonder, where did your name come from?"

"Well, when I was born, I wasn't crying at all. The doctors were confused and worried I was sick with something, but then they realized that I was just sleeping peacefully. My mom and dad said my face looked like it was so serene, or in serenity. So, my mom gave me the name Sereine, but with a twist on it."

"Wow. That's a cool story. I'm glad they gave you that name. It suits you well, and it's beautiful."

Sereine blushed. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's beautiful, fitting, and unique. If I were you, I wouldn't change it."

Sonic and Sereine stood atop the hill staring lovingly at one another. Sonic could not believe that he had met a girl like Sereine. Inside, his feelings were bursting like fireworks lighting up the night sky. He thought to himself "She's the most beautiful girl I've met, inside and out. My feelings are just swirling and jumping around inside me. Could it be that I'm… falling for her?" Unknowingly, Sereine's feelings were the same as Sonic's were. She stared at him as thought to herself "Sonic is such a great guy. He's good looking, nice, funny, and caring too. I… I've never really felt this way in my entire life towards someone. Maybe… I'm falling for him. I hope he feels the same way."


	4. Chapter 4: Battle in the Desert

Sonic and Sereine finally found their friends atop a stone building, and in the distance, they saw a triangular figure. It seemed to stand there like a statue would, and by the looks of it, must've weighed tons of sand blocks. As they stared at the pyramid, Tails shouted "Look! There it is! Eggman's base!"

"Sweet! Now that we found it, what do you suppose we should do for a plan Tails?" Sonic said.

"Well, we could all slit up into different parts of the base to get into the center so we can find Eggman. I'm gonna go through the security blocking the entrance. Sonic and Sereine, you guys can run through the base that leads you to a locked door. Knuckles, you can retrieve the three keys that are needed to open the door." Tails said.

"Aww man, why do I have to find the keys?"

"Because you're the best damn treasure hunter in the world!" Sonic said as he puts his hand on Knuckles' shoulder.

"Alright, fine. I'll find those stupid keys." Knuckles said in an annoyed tone.

"Ok guys! Let's get going! Amy, stay with Tails, ok?"

"Ok Sonic."

"This is gonna be one hell of a party! Hope Eggman's prepared to get it crashed!"

After Tails busted through the tight security, Sonic and Sereine rushed through the entrance and started to head for the door with three locks. Just when Sonic and Sereine thought all was good, Sereine is grabbed by a ghost that appeared like a ninja in the dead of the night. "Let go of me you ectoplasmic jackass!" Sonic turned around as he saw Sereine getting kidnapped. The ghost spoke in a voice that sent chills down Sonic's spine "She's soooo perfect for King Boo Boom. She would satisfy his hunger for a queeeen."

"Let go of her now!" Sonic yelled at the ghost.

"Neveeer!"

Sereine kicked and struggled until finally the ghost disappeared without a trace. Stunned by the ghost, Sonic and Sereine realized that the tomb must be full of them, including the King Boo Boom the ghost mentioned. "We have to be careful around here Sereine. Ghosts are everywhere, not to mention Eggman's robots. Stay close to me, ok?" Sonic said in a worried voice.

"Ok Sonic. I'll be careful."

Sonic and Sereine dodged every obstacle they can. Robots shot at them from every angle, and somewhere hidden was a ghost waiting to pounce like a lion does to its prey. On top of these dangers were also hourglasses that active when touched at the top. Once activated, a time limit goes off for doors they go through, each time being longer or shorter. Soon, Sonic and Sereine reached the door. It was large in size and was decorated with a large face resembling a large mustached man, colors of red, blue, and white splashed on there, and of course the three keyholes that were locked. "Okay Knuckles, now it's your turn. You ready to get those keys?" Sonic said as he was able to connect with Knuckles through his walkie-talkie.

"I'm ready. This shouldn't take too long." After about 10 minutes, Knuckles was able to open the door. "Man that was rough. I thought I was done for with that stupid ghost." Knuckles sighed. "We did it guys, we're inside Eggman's base!" Tails jumped for joy as he said this. Sonic and Sereine smiled and hugged one another at the victory while Amy was jumping for joy as well. This victory was cut short when a large stone door began to open. "Ha ha ha! You fools really think you've won?" A voice came from a large man with a giant mustache that was brown and fuzzy like a caterpillar who was sitting in a machine that had legs and was round in shape like him. "Eggman!" Tails exclaimed.

"Indeed it is me fox boy! You were smart enough to find my base, but idiotic to infiltrate it! Your plans to save that pitiful city end here!"

"He he, come and get some Eggman! I kick your ass all the time, so this shouldn't be too hard!" Sonic said as he started to show off his bravado. Sereine said to Sonic in a pleasant tone "Sonic, you don't need to get so worked up over fighting him."

"Yeah I know, but I just looove beating Eggman and crushing his plans!"

"Do you really think you got me? Ha! You're wrong! Egg Golem! Arise from the sand and kill these pitiful fools!"

Deep inside the sand pit a rumbling sound was emitted. Sonic watched in awe as a large sandstone statue arose from the pit. It resembled one of the pharaohs from the deserts past. It slowly turned its head into a 360 degree angle like an owl does, and set its sights on Sonic. Sonic snickered then exclaimed "This blockhead is the Egg Golem? Alright then! Time to meet the sandman Rocky! It's past your bedtime!" Wit that remark the Egg Golem smashed its fist onto the ground where Sonic stood, but he was too fast and dodged the attack quickly. "Be careful Sonic!" Sereine exclaimed in worry.

"Aw, I'll be fine Sereine! Don't' be scared for me!" Sonic tried launching an attack on the Egg Golem, but its gigantic hand hit Sonic causing him to be pushed by massive force and hit a wall hard. After hitting the wall, Sonic's face was bruised up and his legs were scratched. "Man… that sandy bastard is strong… I gotta find some way to deal some damage… but how?" Sonic searched for a weak point until he saw a metallic button popping out of the Egg Golem's head. "Well, there's the weak spot, but how do I hit it without him knowing?" Sonic said in a whisper.

"Oh well, I'll have to figure it out on my own!" Sonic ran around the Golem, making in twist in constant 360's. The Golem finally bashed its hand down to hit Sonic, but again he dodged. Sonic was behind the Golem and noticed steps sticking out of its back. "Huh, so that's how I get to that button thingy? No problem!" Sonic rapidly jumped from step to step as if his feet were like a feather in the wind. With a swift kick, he hit the button, causing it to electrify and blind those who witness it. The Golem began to act uncaringly after the hit. It hit many things at random where Sonic was not standing at, and nearly knocked down some pillars. "That was fun! I'm gonna do it again!" The Golem bashed its head and fists at the ground where Sonic was, but he dodged it and hit the button again. The Golem became angrier, and like a knife cuts through silence, it unleashed its power to control sand. The sand circled and swirled the Golem like spirits dancing in the Northern Lights, and with its command, the Golem shot the sand at Sonic. Sonic was shocked at the attack, but he dodged it. "So, Rocky's got some sand control huh? This is gonna be tough! Hope I can kick it's ass in time!" Sonic exclaimed as he dodged sand that shaped in arrows. The Golem was ruthless. Sand kicked up and swirled, blinding almost everyone in the pyramid. Sonic sat at the top of a pillar and waited for the sand to die down. The Golem looked for Sonic, but its energy eventually got the best of it. Sonic jumped from the pillar, and as he gave the final blow, he cried "It's time for bed Rocky!" The Golem began to explode and pieces of sand mixed with metal flew. As it sank in the sand, Sonic said in an arrogant voice. "Night night Rocky! Sleep tight! Don't let the scarabs bite!" Sereine was giggling at the jokes Sonic made.

"Oh, why are you laughing Sereine?" Sonic said in a victorious tone.

"Cause what you said was funny! Badly punned, but funny!" Sereine was giggling hard.

"Sonic! The rocket's gonna leave! We have to hurry!' Tails exclaimed.

"Aw crap I forgot about that! Come one guys! Let's get a move on!"

Sonic and his friends rushed onto the space shuttle in time as it launched into the black, star covered blanket known as space. All of them were in awe at the sights they were seeing. Sereine was in amazement. Never has she seen such beautiful lights before… at least not for a while. Her memories began flooding back into her mind again, to a place where two girl hedgehogs sat in a park and played with their dolls.

"Ha ha! Isn't this fun Dusk?" A younger Sereine, no less than the age of five sat on the green grass. Next to her was a dark grey furred hedgehog with purple hair tipped with orange and violet eyes. She was about six years older than the young Sereine. Nevertheless, the two played as if they were friends for a long time. The young Sereine looked into the night sky and exclaimed "Hey Dusk! Look at all the pretty stars! So shiny like the lights in the city."

"Yeah they are." Dusk's voice was a bit masculine, but it still had a feminine tone to it. "Those aren't stars though. They're just helicopters…" She thought to herself.

"Do you think I will ever be in space Dusk?" Sereine asked curiously.

"I'm sure you will Sereine. How about we go there together someday?" Dusk extended her pinky out. "I promise you we will get there someday."

"You promise?" Sereine said in an excited voice.

"Yes I do." The two friends wrapped their pinkies together and held tightly on them. But inside Dusk's mind, she felt a lot of unease and sadness for the events that are going to unfold for young Sereine. As her memory faded, Sereine stood in the shuttle crying angrily "Dusk… why? Why did I…" Her thoughts were cut off from Sonic's voice. "Boy, those stars are awesome aren't they?"

"Yeah and pretty too."

"Yeah, but not as pretty as you."

Sereine's face turned red quickly. "You… you mean that?"

"Of course I do. And you shine like one too. I see a lot of potential in you Sereine. I have a feeling you got something special about yourself." Sonic smiled at Sereine. Sonic moved closer to Sereine, and as the two stared at one another, Sonic's lips softly touched Sereine's forming a kiss. They stood there for a good minute before Sereine pushed Sonic away. "What's wrong?" Sonic's face was quite sad at Sereine's action.

"I… I enjoyed that kiss, don't get me wrong… It's just… never mind." Sereine's faced was filled with melancholy like a child who has been lost or separated from their family.

"Sereine… you gotta tell me what it is. I wanna know why you won't open up to everyone… to me…" Sonic looked as if he was going to shed tears, but he fought them back. As Sereine was about to tell Sonic, the shuttle started to shake and rumble. At the cockpit, Knuckles' driving skills were not quite as experienced as Tails at these sort of machines. "Knuckles! We're gonna crash, Let Tails drive!" Amy said angrily.

"Gimme a break here!" Knuckles said in an annoyed voice.

"Come one Knuckles! Let me drive!" Tails' face was full of fright.

"I got this ok? Just hang on tight guys!"

Sonic and Sereine walked into the panic. "What the hells going on? Knuckles! Your gonna kill us all!" Sonic yelled.

"It's all under control!" Knuckles yelled. The ship spun erratically as a dolphin would as it's playing in the open ocean. Sonic and friends all screamed as they began to think that Knuckles' reckless driving was going to be the end to their lives and the ones depending on them back down on Earth.


	5. Chapter 5: Betrayed

The shuttle landed harshly onto the Space Colony A.R.K. Within that crash, Knuckles got separated from his friends and decided to look for the rest of the Master Emerald. Sonic, Sereine, Tails, and Amy all groaned in pain as they took a beating from the landing. Tails awoke and fired up the Tornado II. Shortly after, Sonic and Sereine awoke, with Amy following last. They all looked around and soon realized they finally made it to their destination. "That dumbass Knucklehead! He should've listened to us!" Sonic exclaimed angrily.

"Don't be so sore Sonic. At least we made it here." Sereine said in a comforting voice.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Wow, it's so old and dusty up here! Seems like nobody's been home in a long time!" Amy exclaimed.

"Right you are Amy! The A.R.K. has been abandoned for about fifty years because of an accident." Tails explained to Amy.

"So, what was the accident exactly? What was so bad that it caused all of the people to leave here?" Sereine asked.

"I'm not too sure on that. I've never really dived into it much. But, we have to find Eggman and put a stop to that cannon he fired! From what it looks like on my map, it's called the Eclipse Cannon and its smack in the center of the A.R.K.'s core. We have to get there quickly!"

"You go it Tails!" Sereine exclaimed.

"Gotcha buddy! Oh, what's that yellow thing in your hand?"

"Oh this?" Tails pulled out a yellow gem that resembled a diamond. "I made a fake Chaos Emerald. Its wavelengths are the same as the original, but it's not as powerful. I made it so it can disrupt the cannon when you put it in, and Eggman won't be able to detect it as a fake!" Tails said happily.

"Nice one buddy!" Sonic grinned.

"Um, what's a Chaos Emerald?" Sereine asked.

"Well, a Chaos Emerald is a very powerful gem that's said to hold great power! There are seven of them, all in different colors. Once all of them are collected, it's said that a miracle happens, or destruction will unfold based on how they're used." Sonic explained to Sereine.

"Wow. That's one powerful gem alright!"

"Let's stop talking and start doing guys! Eggman could be launching the Cannon again soon! I'll look for a way to get inside the core. Sonic and Sereine, you guys can look for a way to get to where Eggman's at. Amy, stick with me!"

"Ok Tails." Amy jumped into the second seat of the Tornado II and waved goodbye to Sonic and Sereine. As they left, Sonic turned to Sereine and stared at her. Sereine looked at him and said "Is there something on me?"

"No. I'm just taking in the peace of us being alone." He smiled.

"I like it too actually."

"Sereine, you still haven't answered my questions. You said we had to get to know one another, and we did. So I must ask you, why were you really all alone on that island, and why are you acting like you have a wall built around you?"

Sereine sighed sadly and tears started to well. "Do you... really wanna know?"

"Yes. I just wanna understand you and help you Sereine." Sonic hugged Sereine tightly as he began to shed tears as well.

"Ok, I'll tell you. But it's a really sad story, so be prepared for what your about to hear. You see, ten years ago, in the city I lived in, I once had a home, my parents, and a friend. Everything was going normal like it should have been. My mom and I talked about the lights in the city whenever I went to sleep, and my friend and I went out in the park to play at night. I was so happy. But, there was one flaw in this happy life I had. My friend's parents despised mine. I never knew why, but they just did. Despite all of that Dusk, my friend, stayed close to me. That is, until the encounter I had."

Dusk sat on the grass and thought to herself "Sereine… I… I wish I could stop this… but I can't… I want my parents to love me… and I want to be accepted by them." As she sat up, Dusk stared at the dark night sky that had no shine or twinkle in it. Dusk readied herself as she grabbed a large sword and sharpened the blade. Like mist, she became almost transparent within the night. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Dusk began to feel a pit in her stomach for the act she is about to enable; a horrible act. She arrived at a small house painted sky blue with a white rooftop. She stepped in the grass without a sound like a church mouse, and slowly lifted one of the windows.

"I really don't wanna do this… But I have to…" Dusk whispered to herself.

As she entered the room, two hedgehogs were sound asleep in there bed. Dusk overlooked them and she studied their faces for a while. "Mrs. Feline… Mr. Carter… I'm sorry… but your lives are ending now." Dusk said quietly. She slowly raised the sword in her hands, and with quick swipes like a lion does to its prey, she killed Feline and Carter instantly. Even after they died, Dusk kept on swinging and stabbing the sword into the adult hedgehogs. In a room across from where Dusk was, Sereine awoke from her sleep. She slowly arose from bed and as she walked out of the room, she muttered to herself "Mama, daddy, I want water." After rubbing her eyes, she opened them to the horror scene laid before her. Blood was splattered across the walls. It stained the sheets looking like red wine. And in the large pools of blood on the floor, was her parents laying dead and mangled. Sereine's eyes grew large, and she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Mama! Daddy!" Dusk turned around and saw her little friend.

"S-Sereine?"

Sereine looked up at Dusk, whose beautiful fur was now covered in shiny blood. "Dusk? How could you!? You killed mama and daddy! I hate you! I never ever wanna see you again!"

"Sereine… I…" Sereine ran off as fast as she could from the crime that was enacted. She did not stop running. She kept running and running until she finally came upon an island. She looked around and saw the nature and flowers surrounding the forest. Sereine looked in awe at the small paradise she has found. She whispered to herself "This place is so pretty. It's far away from that evil meanie Dusk. I think I'll live here, so no one can bother me ever again!" She found a nice spot in a patch of flowers to lie in. She took in all of the beauty, smells, and sights she was witnessing. However, she began to cry uncontrollably as she mourned the death of her parents. "Mama… daddy… why? Why did this have to happen? I never wanted to lose you guys… Mama, I will shine bright for you! I will shine for both of you!" Sereine was picking herself back up as she realized the facts about life and death. She can't escape what happened, but she's willing to move on from that tragic event. Yes, tears she will shed for years to come, but she will not dwell in her past.

"And that… is why I was all alone on that island…" Sereine began to sob heavily. She was feeling a knife stab in her heart as she recounted the painful memory. "I can't believe that happened to you Sereine… I'm so sorry for your losses." Sonic hugged Sereine tightly in his arms as she laid her head on his shoulder and began to release a fountain of tears. "Thank you Sonic…" She sobbed softly.

"Is that the reason you won't open up too? Because you're afraid of losing someone you care or love about again?" Sonic asked her kindly.

"Yes. I'm so scared about being open to everyone because of that. I… I don't wanna have to go through what happened to me when I was little again." Sereine began to cry again.

"It's ok... I'm here for you Sereine. I may not know what it's like losing parents, but I can only imagine the pain you feel." Sonic lifted Sereine's head up and stared into her eyes.

"I'm going to be here for you always Sereine. And with me, I will always make you feel happy too. Don't be afraid to open up to me. And I assure you your not gonna lose me either. After all, I 'am Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sonic said happily while comforting Sereine.

"Your right… I should open up to you Sonic. And I should right now because I have something I wanna tell you."

"Oh yeah, what is it Sereine?"

"Sonic… I…" Sereine's face started to turn a bright red.

"You what?"

"I… I love you."

"You… love me?" Sonic said in a shock while blushing.

"Yeah, ever since I got used to you, I felt something inside me just well up and burst. I thought it was just infatuation at first, but then I started to care about you deeply. I know I fell for you too quickly, but I couldn't help it! You're just so kind to me, and you're a really cool and interesting guy." Sereine said while blushing.

"Sereine, I gotta tell ya, I… I'm in love with you too. You're the first girl who actually doesn't annoy me or just like me for being a hero. You love me for me, and I feel the same way about you. I actually fell in love with you when I first saw you." Sonic laughed nervously while blushing.

"Love at first sight huh?"

"Yeah, I never believed in it at all. But when I saw you… well, my mind was changed."

"Sonic… I'm happy that you feel the same way as me. And I'm willing to be open and honest with you from now on." Sereine smiled at Sonic.

"I'm glad. So, um… Sereine?"

"Yes Sonic?"

"Would you... like to…?"

"To what Sonic?"

"To be… my… girlfriend?" Sonic's face turned red as a rose when he confessed his feelings to Sereine.

"Yes. I would love to be your girlfriend." Sereine said with a wide smile. Sonic and Sereine both stood there and stared into one another's eyes lovingly. Sonic inched towards Sereine slowly and held her in his arms tightly. "Sereine, I wanna try that kiss again. Except this time, I hope you don't push me away." He laughed a bit.

"I won't. I'll enjoy the moment fully, I promise." Sereine said as she blushed and smiled. Sonic moved his face closer towards Sereine's and Sereine did the same. Soon, the couple's lips touched together, and they kissed while they embraced one another. From what it seemed like, they gave off a heavenly glow of sorts. The moment lasted for a minute. After releasing their lips, Sonic and Sereine stared into each other's eyes deeply with a passion and fire in them. "I really enjoyed that kiss Sereine." Sonic said while blushing.

"I did too Sonic. And I hope more of those kisses come too."

"Oh they will, don't worry. But, we have to get going! Tails and Amy are waiting!"

"Ok! Let's go Sonic! Oh… um, is it ok that I hold your hand while we run together?"

"Sure! Doesn't bother me one bit!" Sonic and Sereine rushed off into the vastness of the A.R.K. searching for the lab that was abandoned. As they did, they held their hands together tightly. The atmosphere changed into a loving one, but it will soon turn ominous like a dark sky covers the blue one that was there before. It is uncertain what will happen, but the fate of Sonic and his friends is going to be relentless and, will show no mercy…


	6. Chapter 6: Turmoil on the ARK

Sonic and Sereine rushed through ever obstacle they could to reach the lab. However, they came to a point where they had to split up and search for the lab. "Sereine, you go that way. I'll take this path and see where it leads me, ok?"

"Ok. Sonic, Be careful please."

"I will. And you be careful too." Sonic and Sereine had to split up without a choice. Sonic went on a path towards a room full of green. Sereine was running too fast to even look at where she's going. Finally, Sereine reached the lab, but she was in store for an ambush. "Ha ha ha!" Eggman laughed.

"Ok, Eggman, it's game over now! Stop what you're doing and please give up!" Sereine said in a determined voice.

Eggman approached Sereine quickly, and he pulled a gun out on her. "Your death seems to be closer than you thought! You and that damn Sonic will not ruin my plans! Let's see if Sonic has the guts to come and save you along with giving up the Chaos Emerald!" Eggman kept the gun pointed at Sereine's head, seeming as if he could pull the trigger at any moment.

As Sonic rushed through the greenrooms, over the walkie-talkie he heard "Sonic! Eggman's got Sereine!"

"What? Eggman has Sereine?"

"Hurry Sonic! Eggman's not gonna let her go until you give up the emerald! If you don't hurry, he'll shot her right on the spot!" The walkie-talkie signal began to fade out as Sonic tried to talk back to Tails.

"Tails? Tails! Crap! Eggman, I swear, if you dare lay a finger on Sereine, you'll regret it heavily!" Sonic ran off as fast as he could to head towards the lab. During his journey, he heard Eggman's voice over an intercom taunt at him "Sonic! Come here if you want to save your pitiful girlfriends life!" G.U.N. robots shot at Sonic as they tried to prevent him from getting to the lab. "Stupid buckets of bolts!" Sonic jumped and smashed every robot that he could. Large water-like creatures also stood in his way. "Man these things are so damn tough! I gotta aim for their heads!" Sonic kicked the creature's heads hard and smashed them all. He came across a room where different colored blocks are flipped in many directions. Eggman taunted at Sonic "Well done Sonic, but you will never figure out this room! You will die before you get to your precious girlfriend! Ha ha!"

"Damn that Egghead to hell! I swear if he even thinks of shooting that gun at Sereine, he'll regret every bit of it!" Sonic flipped as many switches as he could to escape the vast space. Sonic was tossed around by the strong hands that gravity had, but he held his ground and made it to the lab. Tails and Amy were in there along with Sereine, who had a gun pointing at her head. "Nice to see you here Sonic. Now kindly put the emerald down and I will let her go." Eggman said while grinning.

"You drive a hard bargain Eggman. I'll put the emerald down. Just don't hurt Sereine."

"Yes of course I won't."

Sonic slowly approached the center of the room. As he got to it and set the emerald down, Eggman pressed a button and Sonic was suddenly trapped in a capsule. "What the hell? Eggman! You made a deal!"

"Yes I did, but that emerald is not the original."

"But, how did you know it wasn't the real thing?" Tails asked.

"Simple. I had and emerald wavelength scanner that detected two signals. I realized that one of them had to be fake. Nice try in outwitting me fox boy! But I will give you a tip of my hat for creating it." Eggman grinned smugly.

"Now, watch as your pitiful Sonic dies! Any last words Sonic?" Eggman laughed.

"Tails, I'm gonna miss ya buddy. Please take care of Sereine while I'm gone. Amy, I'm sorry that I was mean to you. And, Sereine… I love you. Please be careful with yourself."

"Sonic no! It can't end like this!" Sereine exclaimed. Eggman pressed the button and Sonic was thrust into space. While inside the capsule, Sonic admired the fake emerald and remembered Tails' words about it. "Maybe… I can use Chaos Control with this thing…" He thought to himself. Sonic shouted out "Chaos Control!" right before the capsule exploded. Back on the A.R.K, Amy was crying as she exclaimed "Sonic!" Sereine was crying even worse and shouted out 'Sonic! No! I didn't wanna lose someone I loved again! Not again…" Sereine sobbed heavily as she felt the pain of her past come flooding back in her body. Tails was somber and muttered to himself "Sonic… I will do my best to take care of Sereine and stop Eggman!" Tails turned to Eggman and exclaimed loudly "Eggman! I will never forgive you for this heinous act! I wanna fight you in Sonic's honor! And I will beat you too!"

"Ha ha! We'll see about that you weak fox!" Tails and Eggman long and hard, shooting out missiles and guns at one another as they tried to outwit one another. Tails exclaims "Launch power laser!" As he emitted a blinding light form the Tornado II and hit Eggman dead center. "Gah! You won't win so easily!" Eggman charges his machine and soon he as well shot out a blinding light towards Tails. The light missed, and finally, Tails took the last shot and defeated Eggman "No! This can't be! I won't lose to a stupid little fox!" Tails huffed as he was victorious from the fight. "Sonic… I did it…"

"Good job Tails. Good job…" Sereine said sadly as she patted Tails' shoulder. The friends all had sorrow marked on their faces as they remorse over Sonic's tragic death. Just when it seems like nothing was going to be the same again, Tails heard a beeping sound. "Huh? I wonder why its beeping?" Tails answered it right away. His face turned into complete happiness and shock when he heard a familiar voice: "Hey Tails! Look outside the window along with Sereine and Amy!"

"Huh?" Amy said.

"It can't be… can it?" Sereine said as her expression became surprised.

"Lest find out!" Tails said as he approached the large glass window that over looked the tiny Earth below. The others joined him, and they searched across the vast space looking everywhere for that person the voice came from. Tails looked down and suddenly exclaimed "There! Sonic's right there!" They all witnessed as Sonic was hanging from the bottom of the Eclipse Cannon, jamming it with the fake emerald and smiling as he destroyed it. "He did it! Sonic stopped the cannon!" Tails and the girls cheered at the heroic act Sonic made. However, the act is short lived when a blaring alarm is suddenly set off. "Huh? What's going on?" Sereine said with worry. Sonic ran back to the lab as fast as he could and met up with his friends, including Knuckles. Amy however was not present since she ran off deciding to find out why the alarm was set off. "Hey guys! Sorry I scared ya like that!" Sonic said nervously. "Its fine Sonic. "At least you're ok now! " Tails' face filled with cheer at the sight of his hero still being alive.

"Glad to be alive too I might add! I barely made it back there, but luckily I used Chaos Control in time to save myself!"

"Sonic…" Sereine said as she approached Sonic with caution.

"Sereine." Sonic rushed over to Sereine and held her tightly in his arms. "I'm so sorry I scared you like that. I promise I won't do something like that ever again."

"It's fine. I'm just happy your ok." Sereine's smile comforted Sonic and made him feel happiness burst inside of him. The couple then embraces one another tightly, and just as they were about to seal a kiss, Knuckles exclaimed "What happened between you two?"

"Oh. Um, well…" Sereine tried to gather her thoughts.

"Sereine and I are together now." Sonic smiled happily as he held Sereine's hand.

"Oh, finally got a girlfriend Sonic?"

"Yep. And I think I wanna stick with her for as long as I can." Amy approached Sonic and whispered "Can we talk for a minute Sonic?"

"Uh sure. Excuse me Sereine." Sonic and Amy walked off and went to secluded area of the A.R.K. Amy's face was sad, but it seemed like what she had to say was good news.

"Sonic, I wanna say that I hope you and Sereine have a happy life together. You were right before. I don't know anything about you. You deserve happiness, and she makes you happy. I shouldn't have claimed that I'm your girlfriend or try to make you marry me. If anything, you can marry her someday. So, I just want to apologize for all the things that I said and did, and I honestly wanna be friends with Sereine. Can you forgive me?"

Sonic stood in shock that Amy actually confessed to her imaginary relationship with Sonic, and that she apologized for it. "Aww, what the hell? I forgive you."

"Thanks Sonic. I'm gonna go explore this place a bit more. See ya later." Amy said as she smiled walking off. Sonic entered back into the abandoned lab when Knuckles exclaimed "Wait! I hear something."

"Yeah, sounds like someone's coming." Sonic said as he went into a cautious nature. Suddenly a female bat with white hair and blue-green eyes appeared. "It's all over for us." She said sadly.

"You again!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"What do you mean it's over for us?" Sonic asked kindly.

"I just received news from my boss that the Space Colony A.R.K. is going to hit in Earth and destroy everything that lives there." The female bat had a remorse look on her face. The door to the lab opened suddenly when Eggman came through it. "It seems as though my plan failed, not to mention this thing is on a crash course for Earth!"

"I knew you had to do something with this!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"Trust me; I would have done this a long time ago if I had the chance." Eggman said harshly.

"Hmph! So what's our plan now?" Sonic said.

"You're such a nuisance for a hedgehog. You're still alive hmm?" Eggman said in a somewhat angered voice.

"Pfft! Letting Knuckles pilot our ship is way more dangerous than you Egghead!" Eggman pulled out a disk from his pocket that he found in the Cannon's Core. "What's that?" Tails exclaimed.

"It's my grandfather's diary. I found it back in the Cannon's Core." Eggman handed the disk to the white bat. "Rouge, I would appreciate it if you could read this for us." Eggman said in a calm voice.

"No problem Doctor." Rouge took the disk and inserted it into a slot in a machine. The screen appeared with many words on it, and Rouge soon began reading: "I don't know why I did it, or what came over me. Was it a mistake to create the ultimate life form? I regret every moment of it. The colony has been recently shut presumed under an accident. I found my granddaughter Maria's name on the list of those who died there. I went insane knowing she died! She was everything to me! All I could think about was the revenge I wanted for her death. In my conclusion, the project seems complete. Shadow will be quite useful for my revenge. If you wish to awaken him and cause chaos and destruction on the world…" Rouge stopped the reading the diary then exclaimed "So that's why you woke up Shadow!" Knuckles suddenly spoke out loudly "I knew you had to do something with this! I'm gonna pound you to a pulp Eggman!"

"Hmph! Beating me up will solve nothing you knucklehead! This plan is too devious, even for me! My grandfather is such a mad scientist!' Eggman said while laughing a bit.

"But, what are we gonna do?" Tails pondered his thoughts and tried to create a solution for his friends and the people on Earth.

"We can disrupt the energy of the Cannon with the fake emerald Sonic has." Eggman exclaimed.

"Of course!" Sonic pulled out the emerald.

"But, what about our time limit? I'm sure we can't possibly make it fast enough!" Tails said in a fearful voice.

Eggman pulled up a holographic map that laid out paths to the core. "If we take the shortcuts there, and work together, we can make it in time."

"No problem! I'll be there in no time flat!" Sonic gave a thumbs up.

"I'll go with you Sonic! I wanna help you guys out too ya know!" Sereine exclaimed.

"Then let's get going and save Earth!" Eggman yelled happily. The whole entire group split up as quickly as they had met each other. Tails was busy hacking into the system, Eggman got into it even further, Rouge drained liquid in the core, and Knuckles unlocked doors that the sealed the way into the very heart of the core so Sonic and Sereine can rush inside. It is unknown what will happen next. Will Sonic and his friends save the Earth in time? Or will everyone meet and untimely demise with no hope of the Earth ever recovering from the damage the A.R.K. will cause? Only time will tell as Sonic and Sereine rushed into the entrance to the heart of the core and ran as fast as they could to stop the A.R.K. from causing destruction and save all of the lives on Earth that depend on them. The only question left is this; what will lie inside the core for Sonic and Sereine to face? And will they make it out alive?


	7. Chapter 7: The Guardian of the Core

Sonic and Sereine were able to make it into the core of the A.R.K. after Knuckles unlocked to allow them inside. Both were clinging onto a pipe that made them slide down into the core. Sonic landed perfect, but Sereine stumbled a bit. "Sereine, are you hurt?" Sonic went over to Sereine to check and see if she had any injuries.

"No, I'm ok. I just need to learn how to land on my own two feet next time." Sereine said as she gave Sonic a warm and comforting smile.

"Ok, well, if you ever get hurt or you need anyone to come rushing for you, call for me ok?"

"But how will I do that?"

"Whistle for me!" Sonic put his hand on his mouth while two fingers were inside and made a loud whistle. Sereine tried to copy it, but couldn't.

"No no, like this." Sonic helped out Sereine as she struggled to make a whistle like that. Finally, she blew into her fingers and loud whistle was emitted that rang through the core.

"I did it Sonic!" Sereine hugged Sonic tightly at the accomplishment she made for herself.

"Yeah, it was a good whistle too!" Sonic helped up and Sereine as he stared at the path leading to the core. "This is not gonna be easy Sereine."

"I know it won't be. I'm ready to face it though to help our planet."

"Let's get going! We have to hurry before it's too late!" Sonic and Sereine jumped over a large and vast gap. Unknowingly, Sonic was attacked by a blue creature that had a metallic head in the shape of an odd creature. It stretched out its arms and shot lasers from its eyes as it attacked Sonic. "Sereine, watch out!"

Sereine jumped up as the arms tried to hit her. She studied the enemy, and then hit it in the body. The body was too bulbous for her to hit, and Sereine was knocked back. "Man, how can we beat this thing?"

"Maybe the head is its weak point!" Sereine pointed to the creature's strange head.

"Ok, I'll try going for its head!" Sonic jumped into the air high, curled into a ball, then spun into the creature's head as he smashed it completely.

"Well, that's one obstacle down, but we have more to face!" Sereine pointed towards the path that was littered with electricity and robots. "Man, why does this place have to be heavily guarded?"

"Sonic, if it wasn't guarded, people would have been able to reach the core and screw up things."

"Good point! Let's go! I think those weird globe things might be able to help us!"

Sonic touched one and witnessed time standing still. Nothing moved, breathed, or even was heard. Sonic spins through the robots and destroyed them just in case when the time was up for them. They looked over a ledge and saw orange liquid flowing like a river. "Do we have to go down there?"

"I think so Sereine. Come on! It looks like fun anyways!' Sonic smirked as he jumped into the flowing orange river below.

"I hope we don't die. I'll hit this switch so Sonic and I can make it out alive." Sereine jumped in as her and Sonic zipped through the water. "Whee! This is fun Sonic!"

"You got that right!" Yahoo!" Sonic and Sereine made it to the end of the slide and landed onto solid ground. The core was filled with liquid all around, and a platform was in the center that was shaped like a ring. Ahead of it, an old shrine and an oddly shaped purple machine that started to pulsate. Knuckles made it into the core as well and studied the shrine ahead. "What the hells that? It looks just like the shrine for the master Emerald!"

"They probably designed it that way to harness the Chaos Emeralds power!" Sonic said. Sonic, Knuckles, and Sereine rushed off to get to the shrine. Before they could make it however, a strange noise was emitted from the purple machine that was like static at first, but then displayed an image of an old man tied up in chains who shouted "All of you ungrateful humans, who took everything away from me, Will feel my loss and despair!" It repeated itself over and over again, and in the middle an electric portal began to open. "Knuckles, Sereine, here it comes!' Sonic shouted. Out of the portal came a gigantic lizard. Its roar echoed through the cannon's core. Its body was red and black with some yellow on its sides, it had gills, no eyes, and a machine on its back. Sonic and the others stood in shock at this odd creature.

"Is this the prototype that was supposed to be encapsulated 50 years ago?" Knuckles said.

"Man, that thing is so ugly and huge!" Sereine was shocked at the creature's stature.

"Leave this to me. I will deal with him." The black and red hedgehog appeared out of nowhere.

"Shadow, what are you doing?" Sonic said in a confused voice.

"I'll take care of him while you run to the shrine and get the emeralds!" Shadow made his demand very clear. Sereine stood there not knowing what to do. "Shadow, can I help?"

"No, this is my fight. You stay there and wait until I defeat him, ok?"

"Ok. Good luck! And please kick his ass for us!"

"I will." The prototype was known as the Biolizard by the info that Shadow had read before. It was a failed prototype that was meant to be shut down, but was not. In a sense of sorts, it is like a "brother" to Shadow due to the fact it is a prototype. Shadow did not care though. All he wanted to do was keep a promise he made to an old friend and Amy back at the lab. The Biolizard roared and opened its mouth wide, trying to bite or swallow Shadow. Shadow ran around in a circle as the Biolizard was trying to clamp down on him. Sereine had to sit and watch, but she felt like she needed to help. The Biolizard finally made himself tired, and tried to draw energy through the pipes in his mouth. "Shadow, try grinding on the pipes! I think it will allow getting to his back and damaging the life support system!" Shadow paused for a moment.

"Ok, I trust your opinion!" Shadow jumped into the air and landed perfectly on the pipe. As fast as landed, he got the Biolizard's back. With a jump off the end of the pipe, Shadow was high in the air, then curled up into a ball and smashed into the Biolizard's life support system. The Biolizard let out a horrible cry that sounded like a big cat would make if it became wounded. "It's working!" Shadow said happily.

"Good job Shadow! Just wait until he gets tired! Then you can use the pipes and damage the life support system further!"

The Biolizard began going in a circle again trying to swallow Shadow. Shadow was keeping ahead, but did not want to go too far. The tail was swinging back in forth, waiting for Shadow to run into it. The Biolizard wore himself out, but this time around he had an attack plan: The Biolizard began shooting black ball of energy out of his mouth. "How am I gonna dodge this one?" Shadow thought to himself. When of the energy balls came close to his feet, he jumped in the air. One went above his head, and he did a somersault to avoid it. "I see. So the ones low to the ground I can dodge by jumping, and the ones that fly above my head I can dodge by somersaulting. I get it now!" Shadow dodged as many of the energy balls as his can before the Biolizard became tired and was restoring energy. Shadow jumped onto the pipe, and once again hit his life support system. The Biolizard's cry was horrible to listen to like nails against a blackboard. "Damn, he's one tough opponent!"

"Shadow, don't let yourself get distracted! Concentrate on beating him!"

The Biolizard seemed to be getting weaker, but little did Shadow know that he was still packed with a lot of power. As the two finish going around the platform, the Biolizard let out a roar and created pink orbs that floated in the air. Shadow was confused at this, but realized it was a type of attack when the orbs began to head straight towards him. "How in the world am I supposed to get up to his back now? He's not using the pipes to charge himself anymore!" Shadow kept dodging the quick orbs as they were aiming at him from every corner. "Shadow! I think I know a way to get up to his back! Maybe you should try hitting those orbs and use them as steps to get up to his back!" Sereine's voice was loud and clear as Shadow listened carefully.

"Are you sure about that?" Shadow said as he was dodging more of the pink orbs.

"Yes, I'm sure! Now hurry, before he does something even worse!"

Shadow jumped high into the air and with a kick hit and orb and began to ascend. He had to be quick about it though, since the orbs were still aiming for him and trying to stop him from getting to the life support system. Shadow finally made it to the top and made a powerful kick to the life support system. The Biolizard let out another horrible cry, but he was still not dead yet. "Come on you stupid prototype! Die already!" The Biolizard began charging energy from its life support system. Shadow didn't know what to expect from the attack, nor did he have a clear idea about how powerful it was. Finally, the energy stopped charging, and the Biolizard let a rainbow like laser ray that was blasting towards Shadow. "Damn, he just won't give up!" Shadow had to keep running as the laser was chasing him down like a hunting dog. Finally the laser receded, and the Biolizard was trying to gain energy from its pipes again. Shadow immediately jumped onto the pipe, reached the back, and kicked the life support system again. The Biolizard's roar echoed through the core, and he seemed to be really weak. However, he has not giving up just yet. He created the pink orbs again, but this time he added the laser to it as well. "Damn, he just won't stop!" Shadow had the trouble of trying to dodge the pink orbs along with the laser. Every time he dodged and orb, the laser would come towards him. "This is not gonna be easy at all. I have to use those orbs to get up to his back without that ray touching me." Shadow was thinking of a way to hit the life support system. The Biolizard finally stopped using the laser, but his orbs were still shooting at Shadow. The Biolizard let out a roar as he changed the gravity and lifted Shadow into the air.

"Well, this is easier, but I have to be careful not to touch any of the orbs." With much caution, Shadow dodged the orbs and was able to make it to the Biolizard's life support system. Shadow jumped into the air, and with all of his might, smashed into the life support system. The Biolizard let out many cries of pain as he finally was defeated. "Shadow, you did it!" Sereine shouted from the sidelines.

"Thanks. We should head up to the shrine!" Shadow and Sereine rushed up to the shrine where Knuckles and Sonic stood. Knuckles brought out a large green emerald and place it in the center. He began reciting an old saying: "Chaos is power; power is enriched by the heart. The controller of the emeralds is the one who uses that power. Only you can do this! Stop the Chaos Emeralds!" The green emerald spun around and gave off a strong energy as it stopped the power of the Chaos Emeralds. The Biolizard began roaring, and without warning disappeared. "Is he gone now?" Knuckles asked.

"Is that what the power of Chaos Control does?" Shadow asked. The ground began to shake as Knuckles fell over and the others held their ground. "If the Master Emerald already stopped the Chaos Emeralds, why is the colony still heading for Earth?" Knuckles said. Over an intercom, Eggman spoke out "The prototype is still alive! He has become one with the space colony and is determined to keep it on it's course! Think of something quick, or else we will all perish!"

"Sonic!" Knuckles said as he looked at Sonic.

"Sonic, what are you gonna do?" Sereine's voice was filled with worry. Sonic looked at Shadow, and Shadow did the same. Knuckles and Sereine both gave confused looks as to what the hedgehogs are thinking. What are they thinking? Do they have a plan to save the Earth? What could it be, and will it work out for them?


	8. Chapter 8: The Last Hope

Sonic and Shadow smiled at one another as they formulated a plan together. The Chaos Emeralds floated over to them both as they began using their power. Clenching their fists as the emeralds spun around them, Sonic and Shadow were suddenly thrust into a yellow vortex as their fur and eye color changed. Sonic was a gold color with red eyes, while Shadow had cream colored fur still with his red stripes and the same red eye color. They both floated back down as they smiled at Sereine and Knuckles. "Sonic, you think this will work?" Knuckles asked.

"I'm positive! No way can that stupid prototype stand the power of the Chaos Emeralds, especially doubled!" Sonic exclaimed.

"He's right. Our power is invincible!" Shadow said.

"Sonic, you can control the power of the Chaos Emeralds?" Sereine said as she approached Sonic.

"Yes. I don't know how, but I was just born this way."

"I wish I could do that."

"Sereine, your strong enough as you are" Sonic smiled at Sereine warmly.

"Then, can I go with you guys and help?"

"No, you'll get hurt, maybe even die." Sonic said in a deep tone.

"But I-"

"No." Sonic pushed Sereine lightly as he tried to get her down the shrine.

"Sonic…" Sereine looked down sadly at the floor.

"Stay. I don't want you to get hurt or die. I care too much about you for that to happen."

"Ok…"

Sonic kissed Sereine softly on the lips as he embraced her. Sereine took in the warmth of Sonic's super form as she hugged him tightly. "Please stay safe Sereine. For me."

"Ok, I will Sonic." Sereine smiled at Sonic as she held him tightly. Sonic and Shadow both nodded their heads at one another as they blasted through the bottom of the core and made it outside in space. On the tip of the cannon was the Biolizard, now merged with the A.R.K. and setting his sights on Earth. He roared loudly as he charged quickly at the earth. Sonic and Shadow both began gathering power as they prepared for the final battle. "Shadow, thanks for helping out" Sonic said as he shook Shadow's hand.

"No problem. I'm doing this mainly for a promise anyways. That ugly bastard up there will not destroy earth on my watch!"

"You go that right! Lets get him!" Sonic and Shadow charged towards the Biolizard as they saw red orbs protecting him. Sonic went first as he tried to figure out a way to damage the Biolizard. Sonic's walkie-talkie began creating static until a voice patched through: "Sonic, Shadow, can you hear me? He's weak without the life support system. Aim for the boils forming on his body from the intense heat of him falling. It should damage him!"

"Got it! I'll do that right away!" Sonic rushed towards a boil that emerged at the Biolizard's tail. Red orbs were thrown at him as he dodged them all with ease. Sonic kicked the boil as the Biolizard let out one his horrible cries. "Shadow, it's your turn!"

"I'm on it! Your gonna wish you were never created you ugly bastard of a prototype!" Shadow rushed towards the Biolizard as he saw a boil on his side. Shadow's walkie-talkie made static as Knuckles' voice patched through "Guys, we're in danger! The A.R.K. Is gonna hit Earth in about 4 minutes! Try to hurry ok?" Shadow rushed towards the boil, but was suddenly stopped by a laser ray that hit him. It spun around quickly as it was tracking down Shadow as it's prey. Shadow dodged the laser with ease as he danced through the swirling cosmos. Finally, an opening was made and Shadow was able to smash into the boil. The Biolizard let out more horrible cries in what seemed like a never ending song. "Ok, I got him! Now it's up to you Sonic!" Shadow said as he floated past Sonic.

"Got it! That stupid prototype won't know what hit him!" Sonic flew through the swirls of stars as he was aiming for a boil on the Biolizard's leg. The Biolizard began shooting out two rainbow laser rays and had a wall of orbs as he tried to defend himself from Sonic's attack. "Man, he just won't give up! This is gonna be tough!" The lasers acted like a bloodhound would if it was sniffing prey as they tracked down Sonic. Sonic dashed through them with ease however. The lasers then merged together as they aimed for Sonic. "Crap, this is gonna be a close call!" Sonic curled up into a ball as he dashed through a small opening, getting barely touched as he made it out with nothing but a nick to the quills. "Damn that was close! Now it's time to do more damage!" Sonic swished and tumbled as he dodged the red orbs and aimed for the boil. With a powerful smash to it, the Biolizard was becoming weaker and weaker. "We almost got him! Shadow, it's up to you!" Sonic and Shadow both grasped fists as they flew by one another.

"Hey Shadow, you ok? You look really weak."

"I'll be fine Sonic. Don't worry about me." Shadow flew off and saw a boil on the top of the Biolizard's head. Shadow saw the wall of red orbs become thicker, and the lasers came out again. "Hmph! Child's play if you ask me!" Shadow dodged the two lasers as he was getting closer to the boil. Suddenly, Shadow was hit by a black energy ball. The Biolizard was not going down without a fight from what it seemed like. "That hurt... man, he's got a lot more power than I thought. But not enough to stop me from beating him!" The Biolizard suddenly shot out another laser, but this time it was black in color. "Dammit! This is not gonna be an easy hit!" Shadow did his best as dodged the energy balls, lasers, and orbs as he aimed for the boil on the Biolizard's head. Shadow saw the dark laser head towards him after dodging the other two lasers. The dark one merged with the rainbow ones and become a giant, powerful laser. "There has to be an opening somewhere..." Shadow thought to himself. He searched until hes saw the tiniest hole he could see. "It's worth a shot." Shadow curled up into ball, dashing through the lasers opening as he finally hit the boil. The Biolizard let out many roars as he was dying. He slipped off the A.R.K, and fell into space, never to be seen again. Sonic and Shadow rushed upwards towards the A.R.K, seeing their task is not over yet. "Thats not getting through us!" Sonic shouted.

"Shadow, I beg of you!" A female voice came into Shadow's head.

"Maria?" Shadow muttered under his breath.

"Please, let the people have a chance to be happy! I know you can do it!"

"Now Shadow!" Both exclaimed "Chaos Control" as Sonic and Shadow sent a big ball of energy towards the A.R.K. It finally stopped falling and was teleported back the spot where it was. Sonic opened the door to the lab, but as he waited for it to open, he felt victorious, yet sad. "Shadow, you did good." Rouge walked up to Sonic after the door opened and asked Sonic "Wheres Shadow?" Sonic shook his head sadly as he took out two gold rings that belonged to Shadow. "Do you really think Shadow was made to destroy us?" Rouge said in a sad voice.

"He was who he was. A brave and heroic hedgehog who was willing to give his life to save us all." Sonic looked out the lab window sadly.

"I guess so." Rouge replied. All around the A.R.K, everyone spoke about their next plans, while Eggman told Tails about his grandfather. Sonic continued looking out the window. He will never forget the deed Shadow has done, despite the choices Shadow made. "The ultimate life..." Sonic said as he looked down sadly. He seemed like he was going to cry until Sereine walked up to him. "Sonic, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be ok. Come on, lets go back to the place as cool and blue as me!"

"Hey Sonic?"

"Yeah?"

"Shadow is probably in a better place now. I think he's finally free of all that baggage he carried."

"Yeah, I think so too." Sonic embraced Sereine in his arms as stared into her eyes deeply.

"Sereine, I hope that you and I will be together for a long time."

"Don't think Sonic. I know we will."

"Heh, I guess your right." Sonic and Sereine smiled at one another. Sonic leaned in towards Sereine as he placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her softly. They kissed and embraced for quite some time until Knuckles called "Come on you two lovebirds! Lets go!"

"We're going! Geez." Sonic said. Sereine and Sonic held hands tightly as they walked out the lab together. Before they left, Sonic looked back at the lab and spoke "Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog."


End file.
